The split method in Python is used to divide a string into a list of substrings based on a specified delimiter. It is a powerful tool for breaking down strings into manageable pieces, which is particularly useful in data processing and text manipulation tasks. Here’s a detailed explanation of how to use the split method with various delimiters.

Basic Usage of split

The split method takes a string and splits it into parts based on a specified delimiter. The syntax is as follows:

string.split(delimiter, maxsplit)

• delimiter: The character or substring on which to split the string. If not specified, the default delimiter is any whitespace.
• maxsplit: An optional argument that specifies the maximum number of splits. If not specified, the string is split at every occurrence of the delimiter.

 

Examples

Splitting by Whitespace (Default Behavior)

If no delimiter is provided, the split method splits the string at any whitespace (spaces, tabs, or newlines).

Splitting by a Specific Character

You can split a string using a specific character as the delimiter. For example, splitting by a comma:

Splitting by a Substring

The delimiter can also be a substring.

Using maxsplit Argument

The maxsplit argument specifies the maximum number of splits to be done. If provided, the string is split at the first maxsplit occurrences of the delimiter.

Splitting by Multiple Characters (Regular Expressions)

To split by multiple different characters, you can use the re module's split function. Here’s how you can split by both comma and space:

Splitting by Newlines

To split a string by newlines, use the split method with \n as the delimiter.